Oliver's POV:

The morning of the play I walked to Miley's house via the beach, so that we could go to school together. I entered the house through the porch door so that I immediately walked into the living room, where I found Mr. Stewart and Lily's dad talking on the couch.

"Good morning Mr. Stewart," I said as I walked to the kitchen where I grabbed my own stool. I figured Miley was still upstairs getting dressed. "Good morning Mr. Truscott."

"Good morning Oliver," both said in unison. Miley's dad got up from the couch and walked up to the kitchen where he poured me a glass of orange juice. "Miley should be down in a second," he told me when he passed me the juice. I nodded, and turned myself in the chair so that I was facing the living room.

"Lily's ecstatic about the play this morning," Mr. Truscott laughed. "She's got her nurse going crazy."

I laughed; Lily would do something like that, "What time is Lily coming?" I asked Mr. Stewart who after he dropped us off at school, would be going to pick up Lily at the hospital. Mr. and Mrs. Truscott were off on a business trip to San Diego this morning.

"Around 10:30," He told me, sitting down in a seat across from me. "Just before your drama class starts."

I nodded, and was about to talk again when Miley came bounding down the stairs.

"Hey Oliver," Miley said cheerfully, coming over to where I was and grabbing an orange juice to go. "We better get off to school," she said again, once she had swallowed. "Dad are you ready to drive us?"

Miley's dad nodded and we soon headed out the door to the car. As soon as we reached the school, the first bell rang and Miley and I had to run to English class in a hurry so that we didn't get into trouble. Then, we missed the second period bell for our math class because we were too busy finishing up what was on the board. So we were a little late for math, but thankfully the teacher didn't notice when we slipped into our seats quietly. But we were too excited about our next class, drama, to try to pay attention.

"Ms. Henderson?" I asked when she was in the middle of explaining an equation on the board, when she looked at me – I added quieter, "May I use the bathroom?"

The teacher nodded, and I walked out of the door and into the hallway quickly. But instead of using the bathroom, I decided to walk around the hallways more until I reached a water fountain – when I decided to take a drink.

"Save some for the fishes," someone yelled at me, slapping my back as I drank. I was about to turn around and yell at the person back, but then I realized that it was Lily and Mr. Stewart. I turned around to hug Lily, but when I did I found Lily in a wheelchair, with Mr. Stewart behind her. I bent over to hug her, and she returned the favour. "Nice to see you too Oliver," she laughed.

I got up again, and took one step back. Lily looked a lot better than she had at the hospital. She had been put into her normal clothes again, jean capris and a quarter sleeved t-shirt that barely covered the gauze that hid the IV bruises. Her hair was in two braids, and she had on another ski hat that hid half of her forehead. Lily wasn't as pale anymore, but it still scared me a little when she had the life support tubes still up her nose. The excess tubes were tucked over her ears and looped around to the back of her wheelchair where they were attached to a small container.

"You look great," I told Lily in awe, and she smiled. "But I've got to get back to class before I get yelled at."

Lily nodded, and we hugged one more time, "I'll see you in an hour." She whispered before I got up again and walked away with a wave. I smiled again, and when I turned the corner I really didn't want to go back into my classroom. But I did, and I walked back to my seat after being five minutes in the 'bathroom'. Miley looked at me in question, but I shrugged my shoulders and tried my best to pay attention.

"What was the long bathroom break about?" Miley asked while we walked the hallways to our drama class. I shrugged my shoulders, "You were out there for like ten minutes."

"I stopped to get a drink at the water fountain," I told Miley as we walked into the classroom. "And," I added as we walked over to Miley's dad and Lily – who Miley hadn't noticed yet, "I ran into somebody."

Miley looked up at me, her eyes landing on Lily and her dad who were now in front of us, "Lily!" She squealed, pulling her into a hug, "you came, you came, you came!"

"Of course I did," Lily laughed, yelling as well as they pulled away from the hug. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," Lily told us both.

"We better get to our seats," Miley's dad told us before we could say anything else, because he knew the two girls would and could talk an awful lot. "We'll see you two later," he told us before he wheeled Lily to the back of the room. We waved, and I took Miley to the front seats where all the other drama students were sitting. Before we were about to go on, Miley turned around on her seat and waved excitingly to Lily and her dad in the back. And then, we got on stage, and at first I was nervous – but the play went over well, and I was proud of what we'd done, especially when I had sucked so much at Shakespeare.

"That was beyond amazing," Lily told us, wheeling herself faster towards the stage than Miley's dad who was practically running behind her. "I can't believe you guys; you must have practiced so much!" We nodded our heads, and looked at each other.

"We did," Miley and I said at the same time.

All three of us laughed as Mr. Stewart came up behind Lily out of breath and Miley's crush Johnny stepped next to the three of us – Amber and Ashley were far behind near the classroom door.

"Hey Truscott," he said as he noticed her. "Couldn't weasel your way out of the wheels?" Lily shook her head, "Yeah, doctors can be the worst."

"No kidding," She laughed. "I don't get the rule, but apparently you can't beg your way out of it."

"Maybe next time," Johnny told Lily, giving a smile to her and Miley. "Hope we're still up on that offer for the beach," he asked, both girls nodded, and Johnny waved good bye and was immediately attacked by Amber and Ashley who rushed him out of the room.

"He is so cute!" Lily and Miley whispered, getting an eye roll from both me and Mr. Stewart.

"So how much longer do you have before you go back to the hospital?" Miley asked after they had gotten over Johnny. Lily shrugged her shoulders, looking up at Mr. Stewart for help. "Do you have time for lunch?"

Mr. Stewart nodded to Lily, "Evidently I do."

"Good," I smiled, taking the handles of the wheelchair from Mr. Stewart and going out to the hallway. "I think its macaroni and cheese day." I told her as we entered the cafeteria, usually Lily would be excited, but the look on her face said otherwise.

"I'm actually not that hungry," she smiled as I wheeled and parked her at our usual table. "Maybe just a roll or something – but that's all."

I nodded suspiciously, but Miley and I both got up to get our food anyway. When I reached the table, with Lily's roll on a plate, Mr. Stewart was talking to Lily about something I couldn't hear. And he seemed to lower his voice and completely stop once I'd reached the table. Lily looked at me again as I handed her the roll, and thanked me with a smile as she ripped it into tiny pieces and ate it one by one.

"Do you need butter on that?" Mr. Stewart asked.

Lily stared at him for a while before she nodded her head and Mr. Stewart went to go get the butter – giving another thankful smile as Miley's dad handed it to her. Lily didn't look to happy about the fact that she had butter, but I shrugged it off – only remembering later on, one important fact that I read in that book the night Miley went to go get her clothes. If you are able to eat only small amounts of food, you can increase the calories per serving by: Adding butter or margarine.

"Well," Mr. Stewart said once Lily was done with her roll. "I think we better get back to the hospital," He told us with a sad look on his face. "I'll see you two when you get home from school."

I nodded and waved goodbye when Miley's dad took Lily out of the cafeteria, Miley had a distant look on her face and I could tell she hadn't wanted Lily to go. I waved my hand in front of her face to bring her back.

"That was fun," I said when she turned to me for an explanation. "I can't wait for tonight, it should be fun, the four of us at Malibu's hottest new restaurant." I exaggerated the words 'Malibu's hottest new restaurant'.

Miley rolled her eyes, but she laughed at the same time, "its cool having Lily back." She agreed, "But I wish we could have her for the full day."

Thankfully, the rest of the day went by faster than the morning had. Kids were staring at Miley and I, and whispering behind our backs about Lily – but we no longer seemed to care.

At the end of the day, I rode of Miley's bus so that I could get to her house for dinner tonight and not have to hassle my parents about it. It wasn't that long of a drive, but since I was excited about getting to the Stewarts house it took an eternity.

When we arrived, Miley and I raced into the house to see who could get to the kitchen first and get the favoured juice box that was the last one in the fridge. Unfortunately, though I was ahead of Miley, before reaching the kitchen I happened to notice Lily on the couch and because I didn't expect it I had to stop in and say hi again. But Lily was asleep on the couch when I approached and I ended up loosing the race to Miley.

"That was an unfair race," I whispered to Miley, who was poking a straw into the mango peach flavoured juice box that we had both wanted. "I went to go say hi to Lily."

Miley stuck her tongue out at me and continued to drink, "that's your loss," she whispered back. "You should have known she was asleep."

"How was I supposed to know?" I whispered again, grabbing the other juice box from the counter. Miley shrugged, and went to sit on the stools behind the counter – I followed, and we waited until her dad came back from where ever he was.

"You two are home early," was the first thing Mr. Stewart said to us as he came through the porch door. Miley shook her head, and pointed to an invisible watch on her wrist, Mr. Stewart checked the time and laughed, "Alright, maybe you aren't early." He looked over to Lily, "is she asleep already?"

Miley nodded, "What time are we leaving for dinner?" She whispered to him.

"In about two hours," Mr. Stewart responded back in a whisper. "So maybe you should start getting dressed now."

Miley stuck out her tongue again, this time it was orange from the drink, and shrugged her shoulders when she realized that her dad was probably right.

Once Miley made it all the way upstairs, I took the seat next to the couch where Lily was still sleeping, and the first thing I noticed was the book about brain tumours upside down on the table like someone had been reading it. As I started to turn it over, so that the pages wouldn't get ruined, Lily opened her eyes slightly and groaned. I laughed as she tried to cover herself back up with the covers Mr. Stewart had placed on her, and fall asleep again.

"Hey Oliver," she said weakly once she'd gotten herself up completely, "hey Mr. Stewart." I waved hello and finished placing the book right side up. Mr. Stewart then came to Lily with a bunch of different coloured pills in his hand and a glass of water, but Lily swallowed them all before I could get a chance to see what they were – except for one.

"Why are you taking an anticonvulsant?" I asked, knowing this because my cousin, whose epileptic takes the same pill.

Lily looked up at me, her face mixed with worry and question. The first thing she was going to do was deny it; I knew it, "What are you talking about?"

"An anticonvulsant," I asked again. "You know, it prevents … seizures." I paused between prevents and seizures, because I could already tell I didn't want to know why Lily was taking it. I didn't want to know how much trouble Lily was in. But then, I put two and two together. It had been right in front of me the whole time, and I felt horrid that I couldn't help a friend in need. "Is there something I don't know?" I asked again, quieter as I feared the answer.

Lily bit her lip, shaking her head. But I held up the book, revealing its title to Lily and I asked again, in pain. "Please," I begged Lily. "If you're in trouble, tell me."

Lily shook her head again vigorously, tears were starting to form in her eyes but I could tell she was holding them back. She put her head on the pillow again, and pulled the covers up to her shoulders. "I don't know what you're talking about Oliver," she told me sternly. "I don't know where you got the idea."

I put the book down on the coffee table, and sighed. "I know that my best friend Lily Truscott, who I've been friends with since kindergarten and have told everything to, would tell me if anything was wrong." Lily remained quiet, I knew I had her. "Do I have something to be worried about Lily?"

Lily shook her head, I sighed, and we were both silent for a while before Lily talked again. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Oliver," she whispered weakly. "I didn't want you and Miley to worry about me."

I was shocked, Lily had admitted it. "Friends are supposed to be there for each other," I whispered back. "Through thick and thin," Lily nodded. "Are you going to be alright?" I asked seriously.

Lily shrugged her shoulders, removing her ski hat and placing it on the table in front of her. She then turned her head so that the back was facing me and I came face to face with a long row of stitches at the bottom of her head, "Do you promise not to tell Miley?"

I shook my head, "How can we not tell her?" I asked, louder than I had expected it to come out.

Lily cringed, "I want to be the one to tell her." She told me with a completely serious face.

"But you didn't even have to tell me," I whispered. "Were you even going to?" Lily shook her head.

I was shocked still, there was too much information being given right now and it was like a traffic jam in my head. I couldn't believe Lily kept it from us this long, but I agreed to not telling Miley. "As long as you tell her," I told Lily in a whisper. "I promise not to tell."